Have Australians turned to illegal drugs to help get them through the COVID-19 pandemic? That is just one of the answers being asked by a study called Australians’ Drug Use: Adapting to Pandemic Threats. The Australians’ Drug Use: Adapting to Pandemic Threats (ADAPT) Study is exploring the short and long-term impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the...
Category: Miscellaneous
Miscellaneous news
Cannabis use would rise if it was made legal
According to a Canberra Times article, more than four percent of Australians who have never tried cannabis would do, if lawmakers legalised its use. The article is based on research by the National Drug and Alcohol Research Centre and UNSW Sydney, which also showed about 2.6 per cent of the overall population are likely to...
Integrity Sampling joins Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds as members
Integrity Sampling has joined Healthy Heads in Trucks & Sheds as members to assist with the promotion of mental health and wellbeing of transport and logistics workers. It can be easy to go without noticing the sacrifice made for goods to arrive at our door or for food to arrive at our supermarkets, but those...
ICE ravaging societies
The alternative name of ICE may make crystal methamphetamines sound, well, cool, but it’s anything but for those who are addicted to it and those who are dying because of it. This includes innocent people on our roads, killed by drivers high on ICE. ABC News this week featured an excellent article on their website...
OHS (including drug and alcohol management) helps employees
Many organisations are discovering the benefits of committing to occupational health and safety, in part to improve employee satisfaction and safety performance. According to an article in the Manufacturers’ Monthly, the businesses are seeing the relationship between job satisfaction and workers’ compliance with safety management policies and the frequency of accidents. The article quotes a...
Drug use on the up during COVID-19
Drug use is on the way up due to COVID-19, according to an article in the Mirage News. But before we sound the alarm bells a disclosure is required. The article relates to a survey in Canada, not Australia, although the findings are certainly of interest to us. The survey was reported in the International...
Victoria drug testing loophole
If you fail alcohol testing in Victoria repeatedly, eventually it’s likely you will receive a prison sentence. So, if you are a repeat offender for drug testing in Victoria you’d think you’ll also potentially face a spell in the big house, but you won’t. In a legal quirk, an article this week in the Herald...
How to pass drug testing… After you’ve failed!
We have said before in our blogs that there are really only two ways to pass drug testing. They are not to take drugs in the first place or, if you do take drugs, make sure you allow plenty of time before you drive a car or go to work. However, there is a potential...
Drug testing in South Australia on the rise
Drug testing is on the increase in South Australia, but the news doesn’t relate to our roadsides or our workplaces. The drug testing in SA is being completed by child protection authorities and involves parents. An article in the Sunday Mail recently shed light on the testing, which has tripled in the past two years....
New alcohol guidelines hard to swallow
While the timing of this post isn’t perhaps great, on Christmas Eve and with New Years Eve just around the corner, it’s important to know that there is new advice on how much alcohol you should drink for your health. According to an article in The New Daily, drinking can come with serious consequences to...